As we all know, every IRP (including social studies) requires some degree of aboriginal education integration in the classroom (see "Working With the Aboriginal Community" in any IRP). The larger question is, how does one begin to incorporate any of these ideas into the classroom without 'singling out' or 'drawing too much attention to' aboriginals that may be in our classrooms? I believe that we need to look at our communities and see what they have available. For example, recently, the SFU anthropology department (and other departments) have worked hard with the Sto'lo nation in the Fraser Valley to produce an incredibly informative web-museum (links HERE and HERE). I believe that the content is suitable for any school within the region, and draws attention to ideas and concepts that students may not be aware of. I am particularly impressed by the calibre of research that has been performed prior to creating these web-museums. Students at any age can easily follow the flash-driven website to learn more about the Sto'lo nation. I believe that awareness of many cultures (including aboriginal) is essential to creating an all-inclusive learning environment.
Some other related links:
BC "Shared Learnings" resource (guide for teachers to integrating BC aboriginal content from K-10 regardless of content)
BC Aboriginal Education website
BCTF Aboriginal Education Teaching Resources website (diverse set of links to ideas for teachers)
What other resources (on the web or otherwise) are you aware of? Do you have any ideas/comments/concerns?
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2 comments:
Nice...I was going to write about this, seeing as I just did a presentation in the Admin class on this very topic! ;P
I will comment instead with a few things I forgot to mention during the presentation the other day.
First of all, it is imperative that teachers know the communities from which their students are from. Most often, Aboriginal students in a school belong to a nearby First Nations band, whether they live on reserve or not. Sometimes however, students may have familial and cultural ties to people on lands in other district, even in other provinces or countries. We should at the very least know a little bit about the names of the bands in our district, the language they speak and the general history (whether different groups are amiable or antagonistic). Knowing some basics about the members of our class will make relationship building pausible and in turn facilitate classroom management. Just talk to the kids, and if you don't know, ask.
Second point is this: when incorporating Aboriginal content and perspectives into you lesson, quit perpetuating the "noble savage" myth! Remember that the First Nations kids in your class MAY feel greatly disconnected to their own culture i.e. they're much more accustomed to eating local fast food joint grub than salmon bbq, and they can't speak a word of their traditional language. Again, when in doubt ask...consult with local communities,cultural centres, tribal councils, Aboriginal support workers, Friendship centres, the FNS 12 teacher at your school, etc, etc...
It it not hard to find resources, and it really is easy to see where Aboriginal content can fit in. Simply use Aboriginal perspectives along with any other notable global/cultural perspectives to note diversity on a topic. For example, on map exercies, use the English language place name and the Aboriginal place name.
Best wishes,
:D
Sarah
Oh, and one more thing (I know some of you know this already):
The Sooke School District with the First Nations of SC’IANEW, Pacheedaht & T’Sou-ke, as well as other Aboriginal communities served which fall outside the district borders, will be officially signing an Aboriginal Education Enhancement Agreement in April next year, so if you have your practicum out that way, you may want to observe this significant event!
Here's a link to the draft version:
http://www.sd62.bc.ca/pdf/aboriginal_enhancement_agreement.pdf
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